Zoe Leonard

Opening with the line “I want a dyke for president,” Leonard lists qualities she wants to see in those wielding power. A 2018 reprint of Leonard’s 1992 poem, this work memorializes the significance of her words, which have been a rallying cry for feminist, queer, and social-justice activists for nearly three decades. In 2016, Leonard clarified her poem’s relevance: “It’s a question of power. Who has it? Who gets a voice? Why are some of us marginalized, while others are ushered in? This is a structural question. This is a conceptual question. This is a real-life question. How do we choose to govern ourselves?”